Bed covering



Jan; 8, 1963 J. P. QUIEINNEVILLE 3,072,776

BED COVERING Filed April 18, 1960 Jean Paul QUE/ IVE V4 l/f r 3,072,776 BED COVERING Jean Paul Quenneviile, 1140 Dutrisac St., Ville St. Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Filed Apr. 18, 1960, Ser. No. 22,974 13 (Ilairns. (Cl. 219-46) This invention relates to a bed cover for beds for plural occupancy.

One of the problem when two people sleep in a bed is that of blanket snatching, i.e. the subconscious action of pulling the blanket to ones side of the bed. Another problem is that some people like more covering than others. The present invention aims to provide a bed cover which is designed to solve both these problems.

A preferred bed cover, according to the invention, includes two parts within the same cover which are separable longitudinally of the cover from the head end to near the foot end, but connected at the foot end. The two parts are provided with enough overlap so that each part is ample to cover each occupant even though the other part maybe fully employed by the other occupant. The applicant has found that each-part should have a width at the head margin, withinthe range from about 56% to about 66% of the total head width.

The invention will be understood in greater detail by reference to the accompanying drawings which show preferred forms of it, and in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective viewv showing a bedcover,

in this case an electrically heated blanket, in'place on a bed occupied by two people.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the blanket shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross-section along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross-section along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of an alternative from of blanket according to the invention.

. FIGUREG is a plan view of a further alternative form of blanket according to the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the preferred form of blanket which is shown, by way of example. in FIGURES 1 and 2 has a body indicated gen-' erally by A which is rectangular in overall shape and of a size ellective for use on a double bed. In accordance with the invention, the blanket is made up of two side parts and 17 which are separated longitudinally of the blanket from the head edge 19 to a point spaced from the foot edge 21. The parts 15 and 17 have overlapping portions 17a and 15a respectively.

In the particular form shown, the inner edges 17b and 15b of the respective parts are offset from the longitudinal centerline of the blanket and extend diagonally thereto. The bottom edges of the respective parts 15a and 17a are joined by stitching along the lines 29. Fasteners (snap fasteners or zippers), interweaving or invisible mending may also be used instead of stitching. The remainder of the inside edges of the parts 15 and 17 are joined along the longitudinal centerline of the blanket as at 23. Here again, fastening devices, weaving, or invisible mending may be used. Fastening devices 43 are provided on the edges of the parts 15 and 17 which cooperate with fastening'devices on the appropriate location on the other part.

In accordance with this particular form of the invention, each of the parts 15 and 17 is shown provided with an electrical heating element, 25 and 27 respectively, which is shielded within the blanket in the normal way. Each of these elements has leads which are brought into the common connecting block 37. A common cable 31,

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41. The common cable 31 is also divided into a feeder cable 47 which is made of sufiicient length to reach a house electrical outlet and is equipped at its end with a conventional electrical appliance plug 49. The circuit wiring is optional. For instance, the feeder cable may be connected, at first, through one of the control boxes, from there to the other control box, and hence to the common connecting block 37 through the associated plug 45. The blanket heating elements may also be controlled by a single control box, thereby providing the same degree of heat to both parts 15 and 17.

An alternative construction is shown in FIGURE 5. Here the diagonally disposed edges 117b and 11512 of the overlapping parts 117a and a meet at their bottom ends adjacent to the connection 123 between the respective parts 115a and 11711 which are triangular.

FIGURE 6 shows a still further alternative form of bed cover according to the invention. The parts 215 and 217 overlap at the joint 229 so that the edges 217b and 2151) are spaced apart at the bottom, as they are in the blanket shown in FIGURE 2. But, the edges are parallel rather than diverging so as to provide rectangular overlapping parts 215a and 217a.

Operation In operation, the fastening devices 43, if provided, may be fastened and the blanket can function as an ordinary undivided blanket. However, if the fastening devices are left unfastened or are not provided, the blanket functions to prevent blanket snatching" by either occupant of the bed. When part 15 or 17 is pulled by one of the occupants, being separate from the other part, the other part will not be pulled off the other occupant.

Likewise, if one occupant wishes to remove his part of the blanket, this can be done as shown in FIGURE 1 without disturbing the other occupant.

Where the blanket is electrically heated and provided with two control boxes, each occupant can set the temperature of his part to his own liking.

Advantages Among the advantages of the bed cover of the invention are (1) To permit each section to be used as a separate and complete covering for each occupant of the bed,

(2) To prevent blanket-snatching,

(3) To permit each occupant to provide himself with the desired amount of covering without interfering with the comfort of the other occupant,

(4) To permit removal of either section to uncover one occupant without uncovering the other,

(5) To permit the use of several layers of similarly constructed blankets. Likewise, similarly constructed top bed sheets may be employed,

(6) That the construction of the applicants bed covering is such that a considerable amount of movement on the part of either occupant is possible without losing his part of the covering.

While the invention has been illustrated primarily in the form of a blanket, it also contemplates a similar construction for comforters, top bed sheets or any other form of multiple bed covering. The material from which the cover can be made can vary, it may be, for example, cotton, rayon, wool, nylon, flannelette or other natural or synthetic materials, or blends of these.

The respective side parts of the blanket may be made from different materials, for example, muslin on one side 3 and fiannelette, on the other, or, they can be made from different thicknesses of the same material.

Other refinements or features may be added, for example fitted corners, fringes, binding strips, or tape, reinforcements, snap fasteners, buttons or any other bed covering accoutrements can be added without departing from the invention.

I claim:

1. A bed cover having a divided body which in normal laid-out position is substantially rectangular in overall shape and has an undivided free foot margin, divided overlapping free head margins, and undivided free side margins forming continuations of the foot and head margins at right angles thereto and extending uninterruptedly therebetween, a substantial foot-covering part extending laterally from one side margin to the other and extending inwardly from the foot margin towards the head margins, said foot-covering part merging into a pair of separate side parts extending therefrom toward the head margins, each side margin extending uninterrupted along the length of the foot-covering part and a side part, each side part being expansive enough to provide an occupant with a complete upper cover, a covering portion of each side part being adapted with the cover in normallaidout position to overlap a substantiallyequal covering portion of the other side part, each side part having a free inside margin adapted to overlie the other side part well beyond the centerline of the cover at least at the head margin and at least as far beyond the center line at the head margin as at the foot margin when the cover is in normal laid-out position, the entire area of the cover including the foot-covering part and the side parts when in laid-out position being uninterrupted except by said division and of sufiicient area to cover a multi-person bed with tuck-in allowance.

2. A bed cover, as claimed in claim 1, in which the inside free margins of the side parts are substantially parallel and the overlapping portions substantially rectangular.

3. A bed cover, as claimed in claim 1, in which the inside margins of the side parts angle obtusely from the longitudinal axis of the cover and the overlapping portions are substantially triangular.

4. A bed cover, as defined in claim 1, which is a blanket formed of two separate parts having inner margins joined together lengthwise of the blanket at substantially the middle of said foot'covering portion and in which each of said side parts has at its foot end a margin extending laterally of the blanket overlapping a portion of the other side part and joined thereto.

5. A bed cover, as defined in claim 1, which is a blanket formed of two separate parts, having inner margins joined together in a seam extending lengthwise of the blanket at substantially the middle of said foot covering portion and in which each of said side parts has at its foot end a margin extending laterally of the blanket overlapping a portion of the other side part and joined thereto in a seam.

6. A bed cover, as defined in claim 1, which is a blanket formed of two separate parts having inner margins joined together lengthwise of the blanket at substantially the middle of said foot-covering portion and in which each of said side parts has at its foot end a margin extending laterally of the blanket overlapping a portion of the other side part and joined thereto, the inner margins of each side part diverging towards the opposite side of the blanket from said foot end margins when the blanket is in laid out position.

7. A bed cover, as claimed in claim 1, in which the inside free margins of the side parts extend outwardly from their points of junction with the foot covering part near the longitudinal axis of the cover whereby the free inside margin of each side part overlies the other side part further beyond the centerline of the cover at the head margin than at the foot end.

8. A bed cover, as claimed in claim 1, in which each side part has a width at the head margin within the range from about 56 to about 66 percent of the total head width.

9. A blanket having a divided body which in normal laid-out position is substantially rectangular in overall shape and has an undivided free foot margin, divided free head margins, and undivided free side margins forming continuatio-ns of the foot and head margins at right angles thereto and extending uninterruptedly therebe-" tween, a substantial foot-covering part extending laterally from one side margin to the other and inwardly from the foot margin towards the head margins, said foot-covering part merging into a pair of. separate side parts extending therefrom toward the head margins, each side margin extending uninterrupted along the length of the footcovering part and a side part, each side part being expansive enough to provide an occupant with a complete upper cover, a portion of each side part being adapted with the cover in normal laid-out position to overlap the other side part, each side part having a free inside margin adapted to overlie the other side part well beyond the centerline of the cover when the cover is in normal laidout position, the entire area of the covering including the foot-covering part and of the side parts when in laid-out position being uninterrupted except by said divi sion and of sufficient area to cover a multi-person bed with tuck-in allowance, the foot-covering part and each of the side parts being provided with an electrical heating means, an electrical connection to each of said electrical heating means, and at least one control for said heating means.

10. A bed cover, as claimed in claim 9, in which the inside margins of the side parts are substantially parallel and the overlapping portions substantially rectangular.

11. A bed cover, as claimed in claim 9, in which the inside margins of the side parts angle obtusely from the longitudinal axis of the cover and the overlapping portions are substantially triangular.

12. A blanket, as claimed in claim 9, in which there is a separate control to each of said heating means.

13. A blanket, as claimed in claim 9, in which the free margins of the overlapping portions of the side parts are provided with cooperating fastening means and each part is provided with fastening means spaced from its margin adapted to cooperate with the fastening means on the margin of the other part, whereby the division in the blanket may be closed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A BED COVER HAVING A DIVIDED BODY WHICH IN NORMAL LAID-OUT POSITION IS SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR IN OVERALL SHAPE AND HAS AN UNDIVIDED FREE FOOT MARGIN, DIVIDED OVERLAPPING FREE HEAD MARGINS, AND UNDIVIDED FREE SIDE MARGINS FORMING CONTINUATIONS OF THE FOOT AND HEAD MARGINS AT RIGHT ANGLES THERETO AND EXTENDING UNINTERRUPTEDLY THEREBETWEEN, A SUBSTANTIAL FOOT-COVERING PART EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM ONE SIDE MARGIN TO THE OTHER AND EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM THE FOOT MARGIN TOWARDS THE HEAD MARGINS, SAID FOOT-COVERING PART MERGING INTO A PAIR OF SEPARATE SIDE PARTS EXTENDING THEREFROM TOWARD THE HEAD MARGINS, EACH SIDE MARGIN EXTENDING UNINTERRUPTED ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE FOOT-COVERING PART AND A SIDE PART, EACH SIDE PART BEING EXPANSIVE ENOUGH TO PROVIDE AN OCCUPANT WITH A COMPLETE UPPER COVER, A COVERING PORTION OF EACH SIDE PART BEING ADAPTED WITH THE COVER IN NORMAL LAIDOUT POSITION TO OVERLAP A SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL COVERING PORTION OF THE OTHER SIDE PART, EACH SIDE PART HAVING A FREE INSIDE MARGIN ADAPTED TO OVERLIE THE OTHER SIDE PART WELL BEYOND THE CENTERLINE OF THE COVER AT LEAST AT THE HEAD MARGIN AND AT LEAST AS FAR BEYOND THE CENTER LINE AT THE HEAD MARGIN AS AT THE FOOT MARGIN WHEN THE COVER IS IN NORMAL LAID-OUT POSITION, THE ENTIRE AREA OF THE COVER INCLUDING THE FOOT-COVERING PART AND THE SIDE PARTS WHEN IN LAID-OUT POSITION BEING UNINTERRUPTED EXCEPT BY SAID DIVISION AND OF SUFFICIENT AREA TO COVER A MULTI-PERSON BED WITH TUCK-IN ALLOWANCE. 